Ephesians 6:17 “And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
All of the armor was defensive: the shoes, the girdle (belt), breastplate and helmet. These are there for the blow that is unexpected or the one to quick for us to respond to. These are wonderful.
The next item is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. This is offensive. This is what we use to fight back.
One may say, “I’m not a fighter. I don’t do wargames.” This isn’t that type of battle. It’s more of a response. Jesus demonstrated this against the devil in the wilderness.
Matthew 4 records how Jesus uses God’s Word as a sword. One instance is when je told Jesus to turn a stone into bread. Jesus said, ‘But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”. Satan then told him to prove he was of God by seeing if God would rescue Him from a cliff dive. Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” Finally, Satan said that he would give Jesus what He came for, the world. Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”
We are to respond to the devil with what’s right. If we feel a compulsion, we are to respond biblically. Adam and Eve would have benefited from this. The problem is that Satan triggered their desire. That’s when Satan’s words get us wound up. That leads to a different response, leaving the scene. Just as a seed in the soil comes to life, we can’t let nonbiblical thoughts rest in our minds. We are to replace them with the word of God.
This is why it’s important to be in the bible. If we don’t know what God says about something, then we believe wrong things or are swept into lifestyles that are errant.
Another aspect of the bible is that it’s transormative. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This is what seperates it from other writings. It’s comes to life as it reaches us. Particularly in those situations inwhich it’s needed. This is partially why the Word is often called bread. It is nourishing and brings health.
Lord, thank You for Your word. Help us to be reading so You can bring it to rememberance. Thank You that it brings strength and nourishment. Help us to be skilled in using it.